Commencement 2008
Undergraduate Student Speaker Ms. Kimberly McKee
A common myth around Wheelock is that we all want to be kindergarten teachers. I’m sure we’ve all heard this at one point of another. It’s a popular response to “I go to Wheelock College…” “Oh, so you want to be a kindergarten teacher?” This response is second only to “You go, where?” For those of us who are not aspiring kindergarten teachers, this may be a frustrating experience. We are not only kindergarten teachers. We are social workers, child life specialists, educators, day-care directors, advocates, artists, historians and leaders. Even so, Wheelock has taught all of us one thing, for sure: we are all here to teach. We may not all go on to teach in classrooms, but what we have learned in the past four years will enable us to enrich the lives of children, adolescents, adults and elders everywhere. And the lessons we teach will closely reflect those of a kindergarten classroom. While our vast range of experiences and knowledge make us all teachers in a broad sense, the lessons and values that are imbedded in all we teach are—in fact—very simple.
Teach math: Teach children to add friends to their lives, and art and music
to their days. Teach the world to subtract the stereotypes and prejudices
that fog our views and complicate the way we treat each other. Teach families
to multiply the love they have in their hearts and to love their children
unconditionally. Help others understand that we don’t need to divide
ourselves based on gender, sexuality or race, but instead that we are all
equal.
Teach science: Teach your clients to experiment with life, to mix components
and change ingredients until everything is balanced. Teach them to measure the
moments that make life memorable and to preserve them. Inspire others to gain
energy and momentum in pursuing their dreams and goals. Encourage them to make
roots in the earth but to reach for the stars.
Teach literacy: Teach others not to judge a book by its cover. If they feel defeated,
encourage them to redraft until they get it right. Teach that an apology works
like an eraser for life’s mistakes and that we can all write our own stories.
Encourage young people to help each other; advice from a friend can serve as
a peer edit for some difficult situations. Help children become fluent in expressing
themselves their feelings their aspirations and give them a safe place to share.
Teach geography: Help children map out their goals and explore the opportunities
they have. Inspire others to be good neighbors, for our communities are nothing
more than small scale versions of the world, and helping others will help us
grow as well. Be the compass for those who have lost their direction, help get
them back on track and overcome whatever has gotten in their way.
Teach the arts: Teach children to dance in the rain and paint smiles on each
other faces. Remind others that working together allows each individual to play
an instrument in the symphony of success. Teach everyone to sing each others
praises and to sculpt a world that gives amazing opportunities, like education,
to people from all walks of life.
The education that each of us has received at Wheelock College will serve as a foundation for the careers we pursue. Wheelock has opened many doors for us and we have countless people to thank for these opportunities. We may not have the chance to personally thank each and every individual who has helped us succeed, but we can honor them through our work. Whatever path we’ve chosen to take, remember the value of what we have learned and what we have to teach others. Whether you’re in the classroom traveling the country or the world helping in a shelter or a group home or sitting by a bedside in a hospital, teach childhood lessons that have helped us succeed today. In the book “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten,” author Robert Fulghum offers some advice: “When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.”
